MBP likes to shut down

[daveJMT]

my MBP starts to make a loud whirring noise like a fan is going off although it's probably the hard drive-- then it shuts off-- it likes to do this-- why does it do this is the question i'm asking----

 

[spinnerlys]

Does it do so under Mac OS X or Windows? What MBP model?

What's the temperature of the CPU?

You can use iStat Menu or Pro to monitor the temperature. http://www.islayer.com

It probably just shuts down to keep from overheating, so are you doing anything CPU intensive?

 

[gr8tfly]

I'm thinking overheating, too.

Is it sitting on soft material, such that it is blocking the MBP exhaust (along the back of the display hinge)? Also, some air circulation underneath helps (though, the main thing is to not block the vents).

edit: There might be some hints in the system log. Open "Console" (in Utilities) and take a look at either "all messages" or select the raw "system.log".

If it doesn't look like heating, try resetting the SMC. See Apple Portables: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)